You're A (Tiger)Star
by hopkiins
Summary: Darkstripe feels committed to Tigerstar in a way that any apprentice would be to their mentor. Except he doesn't see him as only a mentor.


i've been reading back through the warriors series in hopes that i can at least find the newer books interesting, but i still can't manage to move past the last hope. i find it increasingly difficult due to beloved characters no longer being there, and i may therefor never continue reading on.

however, i've been reading a lot into darkstripe's and tigerstar's relationship. tigerstar was his mentor, so of course darkstripe would look up to him. but he should have had at least a small understanding of when to stop and realize that he's in the wrong (i doubt he believed that he was horrible until he finally died and went to the dark forest).

this is a small character and relationship study that is dedicated to his character.

(i suggest listening to "andy, you're a star" by the killers. i recently stumbled upon a pmv of darkstripe with it's usage, and i believe the song perfectly matches the feelings he has for tigerstar, when you disregard the actual meaning of the song.)

_originally published on ao3 (december 7th, 2018)._

It was interesting to see how the pair would work out. Tigerclaw and Darkpaw were an interesting match, that alone was certain. The cheerful apprentice was always so happy to see his mentor come and fetch him for their usual training sessions (today was hunting; Darkpaw was an excellent hunter).

He bounced happily after the warrior, who was always so bitter, so arrogant. His mentor was Thistleclaw, the warrior who had turned his own heart cold after the death of Snowfur, his mate. Tigerclaw had suffered abuse, often being the one who'd be yelled at or attacked when Thistleclaw felt his rage and anger bubble up. The scar across his nose was the first scar he'd ever received.

Darkpaw was supposed to help cope with the damage that Thistleclaw had done, Bluestar decided. He would be therapeutic to the warrior and hopefully make him less apathetic to everything.

Bluestar had been watching them closely, practically overseeing that Tigerclaw didn't hurt the apprentice just as Thistleclaw had wrongly done to him. The days rolled by and yet Darkpaw still seemed as happy as always, and Tigerclaw had even smiled a few times when the two spoke. Everything was going perfectly, she believed.

Until Darkpaw had woken up with a deep cut in his side.

It was Bluestar's first guess that at some point in the night, Darkpaw rolled over onto a sharp twig. But upon further investigation, it was found that there was nothing in the apprentice's nest that could have harmed him.

The days went on, and every single day did Darkpaw seem even more tired and much less enthusiastic. Tigerclaw no longer smiled, his face always expressionless and wary of those around him. He often led Darkpaw out into the forest and they wouldn't return until the following morning.

But Darkpaw had proven himself worthy of earning his title of warrior. He was renamed Darkstripe and no longer needed the help of a mentor. That doesn't mean he stopped speaking to Tigerclaw. They would often stay away from the others, watching them with icy gazes. Longtail had eventually joined them, and that's when Darkstripe began to smile more. The two became close, but they would never become as close as Tigerclaw and Darkstripe were.

Tigerclaw had eventually gotten a new apprentice. He was a small, cowardly tom who was always fearing the worst. Bluestar hoped that Ravenpaw would rub off on Tigerclaw and help take some of the edge off of him. Darkstripe hated him for reasons unknown. He would often be caught glaring at the much younger tomcat, whose fur would spike up in fear.

A kittypet named Rusty was soon introduced to ThunderClan. Longtail was hesitant to agree with Tigerclaw, but Darkstripe voiced his opinion on how wretched kittypets were in hopes that he would gain his friend's approval. Tigerclaw would only grunt in response, not bothering to look in the younger tom's direction.

Rusty was renamed Firepaw, but only after he had managed to tear off one of Longtail's ears. Darkstripe had sat beside him in the medicine cat's den as Spottedleaf patched him up. Tigerclaw didn't care much about the wound, but only because he had suffered worse. Sometimes the scar across his nose would burn, just as it had when Thistleclaw tore his skin open.

When Tigerclaw announced that he and Goldenflower were in a relationship, Darkstripe had disappeared for days on end. He would often hunt alone, or go on patrols by himself. He seemed even more bitter during those few days, but perked up tremendously after Tigerclaw took him somewhere private to discuss something with him.

Tigerclaw's attack on Bluestar was something Darkstripe hadn't expected to happen. Longtail was shocked, as well, but he hadn't been told the plan. Darkstripe heard about everything, but he would have never thought that his friend would actually act on it. He hadn't immediately followed Tigerclaw out into exile, choosing to stay behind with Longtail instead (he still remembers that fiery gaze being focused on him).

Darkstripe felt increasingly guilty after Tigerclaw left, but Tigerclaw was thankful that Darkstripe had stayed behind.

"We can ruin them from the inside out," he said.

"That's right," Darkstripe replied.

The two met in secret, and Darkstripe began losing his bitterness. He seemed happy, almost.

But after discovering Sorrelkit had been listening in on their conversation, Darkstripe had to make sure she wouldn't say a word. He had gotten deathberries and fed them to her, claiming them to be delicious. Greystripe had attacked him.

Moons passed by, and Bluestar's death had taken a toll on ThunderClan. Meanwhile, Tigerclaw had become leader of ShadowClan, now being called Tigerstar. Darkstripe immediately went to him, abandoning Longtail and the rest of ThunderClan.

He tried to capture the attention of Tigerstar multiple times. One of those times, Darkstripe had been ordered to kill Stonefur. It was finally his chance to show Tigerstar just how loyal he was.

He quickly made his way towards the tom, feeling prideful in the fact that Tigerstar called upon him to do the act. But that pride was destroyed when Stonefur was able to defeat him so easily, Blackfoot being the one to step in and get the job done. Tigerstar refused to look at Darkstripe, which broke his heart.

When Tigerstar was murdered by Scourge, Darkstripe believed that his own heart stopped. Seeing his friend's corpse on the ground, blood and guts leaving his body, he felt like he would cry. And maybe he did, or at least did the equivalent of what a cat does when they mourn. Scourge and BloodClan disappeared, as well as the rest of the Clans, but Darkstripe stayed behind, watching the blood stain the ground below them.

The battle between LionClan and TigerClan was what Darkstripe had been waiting for. He'd practiced new techniques and sharpened up the ones he learned from Tigerstar all those moons ago. He would kill Firestar for ruining his life, for destroying everything he had left. He took away his best friend, the one he looked up to the most. He almost landed a blow, but he hadn't seen Greystripe.

When he woke up, he was in the place he had trained in: the Dark Forest. Tigerstar was there, waiting for him. Darkstripe had felt his heart swell, happy to find his best friend waiting for him on the other side. But when Tigerstar only glared at him and turned away, taking off into the darkness, Darkstripe wished he would have never let himself fall for such a cruel, heartless tom.

He wished he had stayed on the path of right.


End file.
